Rubbing Stones by Nancy Burkey had me interested in the characters' backstories, excited for their adventures and then concerned for them.

I was hoping they'd be ok. The plot is full of action and tension. The surroundings are atmospheric.

4 stars

Thanks to Nancy Burkey and publisher for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

A family raft trip down the Zambezi river leads to much more in this well done novel. You will root for these characters. Thanks for the ARC.

sadly this book didn't really work for me since it felt very disconnecting and discounted. the different story lines in this book felt very individual and not at all connected or as if they even know that they are in the same book and should in some way work together. On top of that the writing wasn't really my taste and the characters didn't work for me either.
So all in all, sadly just not a book for me.

Rubbing Stones is one of those books that seems to start off slow, but them picks up speed as you go along. By the time you get to the end, you really have no clue how everything is going to turn out.

There are some dark moments that I was not expecting. Not that I thought the book was going to be sunshine and rainbows, but I wasn't expecting it to be what it is. It added to the suspense, so those moments were well placed.

Katura is a great example of a strong female character in literature. Even though she is young, she is knows something is not right, and does everything in her power to try and find a way to fix it, even if her life is endangered along the way. She is a good example of doing what you feel is right, even if those around you, including your family are doing something different.

While the ending was satisfying, I still have some questions that were not answered. I really wish I knew what the big plan had been. There seemed to be something brewing, but it was never revealed what that was. The plan may have failed, but I still want to know what it was.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Nancy Burkey
Publication Date: 2016

Somewhere in the US, a teenaged boy gets enticed into trouble by his girlfriend and winds up in jail, almost hurting his younger brother in the process. Their mother, Jane, who is a psychiatry professor and married to a politician, books an African trip that will take them rafting and on to a clinic - to give her older son an opportunity to do community service and the entire family a chance to reconnect.
Somewhere in Botswana, a teenaged girl, Katura, learns that her oldest brother has also been enticed into trouble and is in jail in Zimbabwe. Together with another brother, they travel across the border to try to get him released.
What happens next is the stuff of novels - innocent people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, get kidnapped and held hostage while around them there is murder, espionage, rape, Stockholm syndrome, fear, sickness, and the list goes on. The characters are as flawed as they are many, and even the treacherous political climate of Zimbabwe appears as a strong character in the novel, influencing the people to act but also not taking responsibility for their actions. 

What I Liked
I found the conversation be well written and the author's writing style to be engaging overall
I enjoyed the glimpse into the politics of the African nations
I appreciated seeing female characters being portrayed in both villain and heroic roles.
The alternating views following the different scenes where the story was playing out, provided a good timeline of events.

What I Didn't Like
In order to show the women as heroes, the author often portrayed the men as thoughtless, reactionary weaklings. In every situation, only women had the plans, which is not what I think women's fiction should be about.
It was hard to visualize the young characters because their ages weren't explicitly stated. When we first meet Katura, the African girl, she is cast in the role of annoying baby sister who can't keep a secret for a few minutes but days later, she appears as a seductress.
The long introduction confused things a little. First we meet Jane in her professorial role but none of the other characters in the entire first chapter matter to the rest of the story so those first pages felt like an unnecessary distraction.
As above, several story lines were introduced and abandoned throughout the story.
I also don't appreciate when authors kill off characters for no apparent reason. Some of the murders in the book felt unnecessary to the plot.
Overall, the author kept me interested enough to keep reading so I give it 2.5 stars even though I think the story could have been improved with some editing. My review might seem a bit harsh but I still recommend this book. It is available on Kindle and it is worth the read.

I received a free electronic copy of Rubbing Stones from Netgalley but all opinions are my own.

This book follows two stories. The stories of African siblings who get stuck between a rock and a hard place when their brother disappears, and an American family who goes to holiday in Africa but is in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought this book was a bit weird. So much backstory was revealed (especially for such a short book) and yet it didn't seem relevant at all in the long run. The story takes a dramatic turn and somehow gets swollen up by it. It's a bit predictable and feels a little bit stereotypical.

This is one of those stories for people who enjoy reading about political intrigue and the condition of the human soul. Set in a far off land in Africa, two people who might never have met are thrown together in circumstances most people only dream of in their nightmares. A wonderfully written story, I recommend it for lovers of modern fiction.

Sorry, this book is not for me. I found it quite hard work, I'm afraid. I personally found it hard to get into. It was not a page turner- a bit laborious. That is my honest opinion.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

From the book description ..."Dr. Jane O’Neil, an American psychiatry professor, books her family on a rafting trip down the Zambezi River, seeking redirection and reconnection with her troubled son. Katura Masaku, a smart but impulsive teenager in Botswana, sneaks across the border to Victoria Falls, naively confident she can rescue her wrongfully-arrested older brother."

There was no rhythm, the two different story lines just didn't blend well and felt choppy. I had trouble keeping the characters straight and by the middle of the book I mostly lost interest.

1.5 ☆ rounded up to 2☆

A story about two families from different cultures joining forces to face an adverse circumstance can make for a good read.  I've seen it done before and enjoyed it.  In "Rubbing Stones," Psychiatry Professor Jane O'Neill and her family venture on a rafting trip to rejuvenate after the oldest son's bad decisions catch up with him. In Botswana, they team up with members of the Masatu family to overcome a group that has brought harm to one family and while posing a threat to the other.   

The story opens in the professor's psychology class. Students are critiquing a mock session; and some valid points are being hashed out. I like the basic storyline of "Rubbing Stones."  But it's just not for me. I would've liked to read more about the bright and quick-thinking Botswanian teen, Katura Masatu.  Unlikable characters make for a good read; and there were a couple. I actually formed a mental image of one of them. The plot may have played out more smoothly without some of the sideline dialogue -- too much volleying of brief replies.

One enjoyable part of this read was finding the title in the text: 
"I carry rubbing stones in my pockets."  She took out three small, smooth stones.  He looked down at them.  "You know, to relieve the anxiety when some strange girl you've been watching comes over and starts talking to you.  It works better than fooliing with the straps of your backpack." 
"Nailed."  Michael let go of the straps.   

This review is of a complimentary digital copy from the publisher provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Quoted excerpts may have been edited prior to release.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the wonderful novel Rubbing Stones by Nancy Burkey. This story is about two families from different parts of the world, coming together in unlikely events, and spiraling into dangerous circumstances. A family from California, trying to get a grip on values for their teenage children, and in the parallel, a family from Botswana, whom a brother is in serious trouble with the law in Zimbabwe, all travel to rapids of Victoria Falls, where their lives and missions intertwine. A very interesting read about desperation, politics in Africa, as well as family and human bonds formed in unfortunate circumstances.

I really enjoyed this book. It is set near Victoria Falls and shows how the two totally different worlds of 2 families can collide. A kidnap story with a difference that is very well written.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dr. Jane O'Neal and her husband Rick, a state legislator, take her sons on a trip to Africa. The primary objective is building a clinic, however, the trip starts with a rafting trip down the Zambezi River. Their trip takes a turn when Japera and Katura, a brother and sister in Zimbabwe hoping to free their older brother, become involved with members of the MDC. Dr. Burkey's story about a contemporary American family and their interactions with African natives includes insight into family dynamics, the political upheaval that the natives are facing, and how the two became entwined.

My Thoughts

“I carry rubbing stones in my pockets .... roll them around slowly. All your troubles will go away. It’s like you’ve got a secret and no one knows you’re worried. You can stand there calm and cool while all your fears go into those three little rocks just rolling between your fingers. It’s the power of secrets.”

An interesting short narrative surrounding a harrowing cultural experience for a contemporary American family holidaying in Africa. Family is definitely the main theme surrounding this story - what it means to be part of one with the love and commitment involved. The actions of some characters are, at times, a little unbelievable, especially given the great strain of being involved in a hostage experience, but it’s a story so you run with it.

Being a short story (less that 250 pages), meant that many characters and situations were a little underdone, lacking the necessary depth for full emergence and appreciation. For example, the plot centres around the political situation in Zimbabwe, however, not enough detail is provided to portray the tension between the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) and Robert Mugabe’s ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union). Likewise, the politically motivated hostage takers were lacking depth which was essential if we were to understand their desperation. I felt that there was not enough background information on most people and one was left with questions regarding what happened to some of the characters. I got the main gist of what the reasons were, but not in depth enough to make me feel the cause.

The story is interesting from the point of view on how people cope in a crisis - both hostages and hostage takers - how they work the situation in the camp and their schemes to find a way out. Disappointingly however, I found the conclusion not fitting to the whole premise of the story and just too much left unresolved or inconclusive for my liking.

“What happens if you change your mind? What if you realize down the road that it was just easier to lie, that it was selfish, not really in anyone’s best interest but your own?”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

I was initially drawn to this book with the African culture and psychology backdrop. The first several chapters were very good at drawing me in, then the book turned to a rather uninteresting hostage setting. As a reader I would've enjoyed more depth regarding the African countries involved, more on the psychiatry residents (this was just dropped after 2 chapters) and more on the Botswana clinic the psychologist was en route to prior to being captured.